The Game of Risk
by Mistress of Evil
Summary: Hermione and Ron broke up in 6th year. Now, in 7th year, Hermione decides she wants Ron back, but he doesn't want her...What will happen when she teams up with Draco to play a little game on Ron? ch3 up! Draco makes his appeareance!
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER:  Hmm…let's see…where's my prepared disclaimer? Ah hah! " This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended."

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Prologue:

_I tossed and turned all night just waiting for the first rays of dawn to come shining through my window.  Grateful to be finally giving up the notorious notion of sleep, I hauled myself out of bed and pulled on my cool satin robe.  The morning was quite warm for the end of April, but I had more pressing things on my mind than the weather.  I headed down to the Common Room and took a seat on the sofa in front of the extinguished fireplace.  Between the cushions of the sofa I discovered a Muggle magazine, no doubt belonging to either Pravati or Lavender.  With nothing to do but wait for a sign of life from the male dormitory, I leafed my way through the latest issue of TeenZine.  With a satirical laugh I began reading an article titled "What to do when you know it's over."  It was an article about breaking up.  Tears sprung to my eyes despite my ironic chuckling as I read through the article.  It didn't make the prospect of what I was about to do any easier, but at least I had something to keep my mind occupied until the inevitable should arise. _

_It was a surprisingly short amount of time before I heard the creak of the boys' dormitory.  I looked at the clock.  It was still early, but it had to be him.  It had to be.  Who else would it be?  I didn't turn to verify my suspicions.  Instead, I closed the magazine and stared into the unlit fireplace.  I heard his soft footsteps as he walked up to the sofa.  He stood beside it, no doubt feeling the aura of unpleasantness that was filling the room.  Out of my peripheral vision I could see him standing in his pajamas, his hands in the pockets of his trousers.  His red hair was disheveled and his face looked extremely pale.  _

_"You're up early," he said lightly.  _

_"So are you," I answered, not looking at him.  _

_"I couldn't sleep," he replied as he walked to the sofa and sat down next to me.  "I can tell you couldn't either."  _

_We sat in silence for a long time, waiting for the other to speak.  I knew I couldn't count on him to say anything.  This was my job.  We've been going out since the beginning of the year.  He knew it was coming to end, how could he not?  Our relationship has been heading downhill for months now.  We can't drag it on any longer.  There's no reason to pretend like nothing is wrong when we can both feel that there is.  I cursed myself for not bringing any tissues with me.  I knew I wouldn't be able to get through this dry-eyed.  _

_"Ron, I…I think…" I hesitated as the tears began flowing down my cheeks.  Once I said the words, that would be it, there would be no going back.  _I'm afraid that I'm about to make a big mistake_, I thought.  No, we need the time apart.  _I took a deep breath.  "I think we need to break up."  __

_There, I said it.  Now, my tears were falling uncontrollably.  I couldn't even gather up the strength to look Ron in the eyes.  It hurt too much.  It didn't register to me at the time that if it hurt as badly as it did, it wasn't the right thing to do.  I felt like I was doing the right thing:  for myself, for him, for us.  _

_"I knew it was coming," he sighed dejectedly.  "Can I ask why, or am I supposed to know that, too?"  _

_I cringed at his bitterness, but I knew it was expected and probably deserved.  _

_"Don't get the wrong idea, Ron," I said, trying to hold my tears and speak truthfully at the same time.  "It's not that I don't care about you, because I do."  I suddenly found my throat constricted.  _

_"I care about you, too, so why are we breaking up?" he asked, his voice shaky.  _

_"It's probably going to be hard for you to understand, but I just can't take it anymore," I wept.  "You may not realize it, but you demand so much from me! I work so hard at trying to please you that I put everything second to you.  My schoolwork has been suffering because I don't want you to get mad at me because I don't spend enough time with you.  My health has been suffering because I stress constantly about pleasing you and trying to keep my head above water in school.  It probably sounds crazy to you, but it's too much for me to handle anymore."_

_There is a tense silence in which the only sounds in the room are my faint sobs.  I hear Ron's unsteady breathing as he no doubt tries to comprehend everything I just said.  Suddenly I feel his warm touch on my hand, and I look over at him through my veil of tears.  His eyes are brimming with tears but none have fallen.  _

_"I understand," he whispers.  "I'm sorry for the trouble I have caused you, but I don't want this to ruin our friendship."_

_"Me neither," I cried.  _

_"So you think we can still be friends?" he asked cautiously.  _

_"Of course," I agreed through my unrelenting sobs.  I leaned forward and hugged him tightly, and he embraced me with strong arms.  I knew he didn't want to let me go, and I didn't want him to.  I convinced myself that even though it hurt, it was the right thing to do.  I pried myself out of his hold and stood up.  I couldn't force myself to say goodbye.  I simply stared into his shining eyes and walked back to my dormitory.  I had only just reached the stairs when a tugging at my heart forced me to stop at the foot of the stairs.  "Ron…I love you."  I had never said those words to him, not in the seven months we were together.  As soon as the words left my mouth I knew I shouldn't have waited so long to say them.  _

_His response was quiet and full of emotion.  "I love you, too, Hermione."  _

*****                                                   *****                                                   *****

[A/n] Please do me the favor and review!! Luv ya! Merry-almost-Christmas!


	2. I Need You to Be Honest

DISCLAIMER:  "This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended."

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Chapter One:

I Need You to Be Honest

Six months had passed since Ron and I broke up.  For the rest of sixth year, Ron and I acted like the good friends we had always been.  We didn't speak of the break up or our past relationship; it was mutually an off-limits topic.  Things were almost as good during those few months as they had been while we were together…except now we were apart.  In that way, I guess things were better than before.  We were happy to spend time together, but we were just as happy to be on our own.  I was able to focus on my schoolwork again and just barely managed to finish out the year at the top of the class.  

Then came the summer, during which we never spoke, not even by owl.  Part of me wanted nothing more than to talk to him, but I pushed out those ridiculous feelings by keeping myself busy from dawn to dusk.    When we went back to school, everything was the same as it had been the year before.  We were still great friends who had a lot of fun with one another.  When the days blended into autumn, I began to realize that I was not just friends with Ron.  My heart told me that I wanted him back…as a boyfriend.  

The last Saturday in November was a Hogsmeade weekend.  I went with Ron and Harry to the Three Broomsticks.  All month I had been thinking of conveying my feelings to Ron, but I was afraid.  I was afraid that if we got back together, it would only end in heartbreak again.  

"Hermione!" I heard as I walked into the Three Broomsticks.  I glanced around trying to see who was calling me.  "Hermione, over here!"  

I looked over into a secluded corner, and saw Ginny sitting at a table with some of her sixth year friends.  

"I'll meet you guys in a few minutes," I told Ron and Harry as I headed to Ginny's table.  I sat down in an empty chair and began gossiping with the sixth year girls.  After Madam Rosmerta brought me a tall butterbeer, I felt ready to dive into serious conversation.  "Ginny, I need some advice."

"Well, that's what I'm here for!" she exclaimed with a smile.  She looked over at the other girls who dutifully left the table to ogle over Ron and Harry.  I chuckled as the blushing girls joined the Quidditch stars, but Ginny quickly stole my attention.  "What's up, 'Mione?" 

"It's…it's about your brother, Ginny," I said, a little embarrassed.  "I was sort of thinking about getting back together with him."

Ginny, who had been in the middle of drinking butterbeer, choked on her drink and began sputtering all over the table.  Once she finally cleared her airway she looked at me as if I were insane.  "Why on earth would you want to do that?"

"Well…I miss him," I said simply.  "We're such great friends now, even though I never thought we could be, and I want there to be more."

"Is it really worth it, Hermione?" she asked concernedly.  "You weren't really happy with him, after all."

"That's not true!" I protested.  "We were very happy together.  Things just sort of tapered off in the end.  We needed a break, and now we've had one.  Isn't it time that we stop denying our feelings?"

"Hermione, listen to me, will you?" she said seriously.  "I haven't said anything because I didn't want to upset you, but now I know that I have to tell you, there's no way around it." She hesitated for a moment as I sat on pincushions hanging on her bated breath.  "I think Ron has a girlfriend."

The words hit me like a bucket of ice water.  I sat in shock for a long time before I forced myself to breath.  Ron had been so sweet to me up to that point.  I had never seen another girl around him.  How could it be true?  How could he betray me like that?

"It can't be true," I whispered in denial.  "It just can't be."

"Listen, Hermione, I'm really sorry.  I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you," she said in a rush.

"But he's been so nice to me, Ginny!  He's been just like he was before he asked me out.  He wouldn't be acting like that if there was someone else," I tried to convince myself as tears formed in my eyes.  "And if there is someone else, why haven't I seen her?"

Ginny shifted uncomfortably in her chair.  She hated having to be the barer of bad news.  I looked on her with bitterness and hatred, but I knew that I would later be glad she confronted me with the truth.  

"Her name is Sylvia," Ginny said quietly.  "She's on the Quidditch team this year—our newest Chaser.  I don't know much about her except that she is in fifth year.  She's pretty popular in her own year, according to Dennis Creevey.  She and Ron started talking at the beginning of the year when training started and they became fast friends.  I didn't think anything about it until just recently.  By the way they act around each other and how they always come and leave together, I have the feeling they are more than friends."

"You have a feeling?" I repeated, grasping for some feeble thread of hope.  "If it's just a feeling, than that means you have no proof."

"Ok, I admit it," Ginny exclaimed as she threw her hands in the air.  "I have no concrete evidence that there is someone else he's fooling around with, but I think it's important that you talk to him before you think anymore about getting back together."

I sighed dejectedly.  "I suppose you're right, Ginny."

"Hermione, I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have told you."

"No, Ginny.  I needed to know.  I will probably thank you later for saving me from making a complete ass out of myself."  I took a last swig of my butterbeer and stood up from the table.  "I'm going to go for a walk, Ginny.  I think I need some time alone.  I'll see you back at the castle."  Without another look back at her or the table with Ron and Harry, I left the Three Broomsticks and headed out into the biting October wind.  

*-*-*-*

I stood in the cold near the end of the road, leaning against the fence that overlooked the Shrieking Shack.  I had been there for almost an hour, just thinking.  Suddenly I heard the soft tread of footsteps approaching.  I continued to stare at the dilapidated house as the person drew nearer.  Finally he was next to me, leaning against the fence and mimicking my gaze at the house.  

"What are you doing out here, Hermione?" Ron asked quietly.  

"I needed to think," I said simply.  

"Are you…okay?"

I took a deep breath and turned towards him.  I felt the same suffocating hold of inevitability that I did the night we broke up.  I was afraid of asking him about what Ginny said.  I felt like I didn't even need to ask because I knew it couldn't be true, but even as I thought that I knew I was only lying to myself.  I was afraid that Ginny spoke the truth.  I needed to know what was really going on.  I wasn't going to be played.  

 "Ron, I need to talk to you," I said quietly.  I could tell that I held his attention now.  He looked at me carefully, trying to figure out what was on my mind.  I felt a few raindrop fall on my face.    

"What is it?" he asked, a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

I sighed, glancing up at the sky.  It was darkening to an ominous shade of gray.  I decided I wasn't going to beat around the bush.  I needed answers.  "I need to ask you a question and I want you to be completely honest with me."

"Of course, Hermione," he said truthfully.  He stood up straight as if saying he was ready for whatever I was going to throw at him.  

I took a deep breath and, my eyes on trailing the ground, said quickly:  "Do you have a girlfriend?"

I waited for the answer with my eyes still on the ground.  He said nothing at first.  My heart started to beat faster as my mind pleaded, _how long does it take to say no?_  Unable to stand the silence any longer I looked up at him.  He had foregone his arrogant stance and now looked extremely uncomfortable.  

"Well?" I asked impatiently.  The tears began to fill my eyes as the unspoken truth became evident.  

"Well, I guess I sort of do," he mumbled.  "She's not officially my girlfriend, but recently we've become more than friends."

"'More than friends'?" I repeated as my eyes brimmed with tears.  "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Well," he blushed his signature shade of crimson, "we've kissed a couple times."

"Oh…my…god…" I said breathlessly as the first of a flood of tears fell from my eyes.  I didn't know what to say.  I turned away from him and leaned my elbows on the fence, burying my head in my hands.  I felt the raindrops falling quicker into a steady drizzle.  He remained next to me as I gathered my thoughts.  The truth is, I had considered this outcome while I waited for him and I planned out some things to say.  It may sound pathetic, but it was the only way to ensure that I told him everything I needed to.  "I can't believe you kept this from me."

"Listen, Hermione, I'm really sorry," he pleaded putting his hand on my arm.  "I should have told you, I know.  It was stupid to try to keep it from you."  

I shook his hand away.  "It sure was.  I don't suppose you know how this feels, do you?  I feel so betrayed, Ron, you have no idea." He made a move to but in.  "No, you need to just listen for a minute before I get so overwhelmed by tears that I can't get out what I need to say.  You betrayed me, Ron.  You made me think that I was the most important person to you.  You made me feel like I was the center of your world.  Then I find out that you're making out with this other girl.  My god, Ron, do you know what that's doing to me?  I feel like shit! I feel like you don't think I am worth you time or all your feelings.  I feel like you were just playing around with me.  I have known for a long time that you had feelings for me, but I never chose to acknowledge them.  Obviously you were tired of waiting for me to come crawling back, so you wanted to get some action elsewhere.  Still, you didn't want to cut me out completely, so you left the back door open in case I sidled back in.  You pathetic, spineless bastard! You don't even have the courage to tell me that you're moving on.  That is just pathetic!" 

I spat my words and spun around in a huff, heading back toward the town.  The tears were falling in streams down my cheeks.   The rain began to fall harder.  The drizzle was now becoming a heavy shower.

"Hermione, wait!" Ron called from behind me.  I stopped and turned around slowly, holding my ground.  "Do you think we can still be friends?"

At his words more a tears fell from my eyes.  "No, Ron, I don't think we can be friends, not after what you did to me."  I forced myself to turn around and walk quickly back through the vicious downpour to the busy town.  I didn't bother staying in Hosmeade; instead, I returned to Hogwarts.  I walked up to my dormitory with blinders on my eyes.  I was oblivious to everything around me except my raging mind.  I sat down on my bed and cried out all my pain.  As I wept I clutched the stick in my chest where my heart was ripping to pieces.  

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[A/n]:  (Date changed from October to November for the purpose of later chapters.)  Please continue to review! It causes a pleasant WAFF (warm and fuzzy feeling).  I appreciate those of you who have already reviewed—fanfict and blackrose1507—I love you!!  As it is 0037 it is now acceptable to wish everyone a Merry Christmas Eve!! ~M.O.E.


	3. Two Weeks Notice

DISCLAIMER:  "This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended."

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Chapter Two:

Two Weeks Notice

I lied curled up on my bed for hours.  My tears were long since gone, but the pain was still fresh.  Every time I closed my eyes I saw Ron and heard his confession in my head.  I was grateful to have my own room as Head Girl, even if I was still stuck in Gryffindor Tower.  I was able to grieve in solitude.  Until, that was, I heard a tentative knock at my door.  

"Go away!" I shouted angrily.  I didn't want to be bothered.  I just wanted to sit and wallow in self-pity and become overwhelmed with depression.  

"Please let me in, 'Mione!" Ginny pleaded.

"No, I just want to be alone!" I cried.    

"Hermione Granger, open this door right now!" Ginny shouted with anger and persistence.  

I sighed and rolled out of bed.  I unlocked the door and dove right back into bed.  Ginny burst into the room and, with a strange aura of composure, sat beside me on the bed.  We sat in silence for a while before she brought up the obvious.

"You talked to Ron."  It wasn't a question, just a statement.  

"Yes," I agreed, fighting back the tears that I thought had already been cried out.  "You were right, Ginny.  He has a girlfriend, though not 'officially'."

"What does that mean?" Ginny asked skeptically.

"It simply means that he's been fucking around with some bitch while trying to play me!" I exclaimed angrily.  The tears fell from my eyes and let go of my anger.  With the pain returned I could feel nothing but misery.  "How could he do that, Ginny?  I thought he cared about me! I thought I was the center of his world, and yet he's been with someone else behind my back."

"Hermione," she said cautiously, "you do realize that he is single and therefore free to do what he wants."  

For a moment I said nothing.  I was speechless; I knew Ginny spoke the truth.  He was a free man.  I had no hold on him.  He didn't belong to me, nor did he owe it to me to tell me everything that was going on in his personal life.  Yet I still felt betrayed.  I still felt like he deliberately hurt me, that he totally lied to me, even if it wasn't true.  "I don't understand it, Ginny!" I cried through my sobs.  "He's not my boyfriend, so why does it hurt so badly?"

Ginny sighed.  She scooted closer to me on the bed and stroked my hair sympathetically.  "You still have feelings for him, Hermione.  You never stopped having feelings for him.  You didn't break up with him because you liked someone else or because you didn't like him anymore; you broke up with him because you felt overwhelmed.  The feelings never went away; they were bound to resurface.  I think that part of still believed you were together, especially because of how things have been between you recently.  Does that make any sense?"  

"It makes perfect sense, Ginny," I sniffled.  "You should be a psychologist at St. Mungo's!"  

Ginny chuckled and I smiled.  It felt strangely good to be able to smile again.  "Thank you, Ginny.  You're the best friend a girl could ask for.  I owe you so much."

"No you don't, Hermione," she grinned.  "That's what friends are for."

*-*-*-*

I had thought things would change after I discovered about Sylvia.  Surprisingly, though, they did not.  At first I avoided Ron, but then my feelings took back the reins and I was falling for him again.  I was still mad at him, but I figured I could still go back out with him.  I would just tell him he had to make it up to me.  Nevertheless, I was afraid to make that jump.  Going back out with Ron would mean making myself vulnerable to all the hurts again.  Late one night I sat alone in the Common Room and I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.  I turned to see Lavender Brown walking sleepily toward me.  

"'Mione," she yawned, "what are you doing still up?"

"I have a lot on my mind," I said simply as I gazed into the warm, blazing fire.  

Lavender slumped down in the seat next to me and conjured up two cups of steaming hot cocoa.  She handed me a cup and said, "Come on, girl, talk to me."

I smiled.  Over the past two years Lavender and I had gotten a lot closer.  We rarely did things together, but we talked a lot.  I was grateful to have her as a friend; she gave great advice.  

"I'm thinking about going back out with Ron," I said quietly.  "I know he lied to me about that whole Sylvia thing, but I still think I'd rather be with him than be mad at him."

Lavender remained silent for a long time before she took a sip of her hot cocoa and cleared her throat.  Lavender knew all about the Ron/Sylvia affair, but she had never expressed an opinion about it.  She just listened to me rant and rave.  Ginny was the friend I liked to cry with; Lavender was the friend I liked to curse with.  "I think you need to reevaluate why you broke up with him in the first place."

"Why?" I asked defensively.  "You don't think I should get back together with him?"

"It's not that," she said cautiously.  "It's more of the fact that you can't allow yourself to forget the bad times just because you miss him.  It's easy to only remember the good times, but you don't want to get a harsh shock if you go back to him."

"So you _are_ saying we shouldn't get back together."

"Listen, Hermione," Lavender said sweetly, "I'm just trying to be your voice of reason."  She drained her mug of cocoa.  "Now, it's going on three in the morning, 'Mione, you should get some sleep."

"I suppose you're right," I resigned as I finished my hot cocoa and followed Lavender up the stairs.  She left me and went into the room for the seventh year girls.  I continued to the top of the staircase to my private room.  

I lied on my bed in the dark knowing sleep was not an option.  My mind raced as I tried to come up with a good solution to my problem.  I thought about what my relationship with Ron had been like, everything I liked and didn't like.  

_He really was a sweet guy…**but he was very jealous and was often possessive.  He was always there to talk to me…**but he got mad if you decided it was more important to do your Potions essay than discuss Quidditch.  **He wanted nothing more than to make me happy…**but he hated it when other people made you happy.  **He was a great friend to me even when he was my boyfriend…**but he wouldn't let you have any other friends.  ****_

That night, as the first rays of the rising sun reached my bedroom window, I cried myself to sleep.

*-*-*-*

It was just over two weeks after I found out about Ron and Sylvia.  I returned to the Common Room in a good mood that night.  I had been in the library for hours and was able to get all my homework done for the week with barely any effort; all the books I needed seemed to come to me.  I said hi to Lavender who was chatting with Pravati Patil in the corner of the Common Room.  Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Lavender stand up and follow me up the staircase.  

"What's up Lavender?" I asked as I fished in my bag for the key to my room.  

"I need to talk to you," she said quietly.  I shudder ran down my spine.  I could tell that whatever she wanted to talk about would not be pleasant.  

"Sure, come in," I offered as I held open the door for her to come in.  I dumped my bag on the floor and sat down on my bed.  I gestured to the chair in front of my desk and Lavender took a seat.  I stared at her, waiting for her to speak.  She avoided my eye, keeping her gaze fixed on the hardwood floor.  "Well?" I prodded cautiously.  

"This is hard for me to be the one to tell you.  I feel terrible about it, but I think you need to know."  Lavender hesitated; I hung on her bated breath.  "I mean, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier.  I guess I was trying to spare your feelings or something.  I mean…I just think it's important for you to hear it from me, because I think you need to know."

"For God's sake, Lavender, just say it!" I exclaimed.  I think part of me knew right then what she was going to say.  I didn't want to admit to myself that something like that could ever happen.  

Lavender took a deep breath and looked up at me.  She immediately withdrew her gaze and said in a rushed voice:  "Ron and I go out now."  

My heart dropped; my breathing ceased; a tear fell unbidden down my cheek.  After what felt like an eternity of shocked paralysis, I regained control.  

"What?" I asked in a low, threatening voice.  

"'Mione, I'm sorry, but it just happened!" she exclaimed, hoping that her answer would be enough to satisfy me.  

"It 'just happened'?  What the hell is that supposed to mean, Lavender?" I screamed angrily.  "My God, I thought you were my friend!" 

"'Mione, I'm still your friend!" Lavender pleaded.

"Like hell you are, bitch!" I yelled as I jumped off the bed and started towards her.  "Friends don't date other friends' ex-boyfriends! Dammit, Lavender, what were you thinking?  Not just that, but only two weeks ago he was screwing around with someone else! Doesn't that tell you anything about him?"

"'Mione, how can you criticize me when you wanted to get back together with him, too.  You're willing to forgive him, so why is it so strange that I can look past it?" She sighed.  "Let's not let this stupid thing break up our friendship.  Can't we just stay friends?"

"'Friends'?" I repeated.  "How can we stay friends after you betrayed me like this?" I shook my head in disbelief.  "No, there is no way.  Get out of my face, I don't even want to _look at you anymore."  I turned my back on her and headed back toward my bed._

"Hermione, please!" she pleaded.  

I spun around, fury boiling the blood in my veins.  I ran up to Lavender and slapped her hard across the mouth.  

"Get the fuck out of here!" I screamed.  

Lavender burst into tears and tore from the room.  I shakily made my way back to the bed where I collapsed in shock.  _Ron is dating Lavender.  I just slapped my so-called friend.  What next?_  I asked myself, but I already knew the answer to that question.

Talk to Ron.  

*****                                                   *****                                                   *****

[A/n]:  Merry Christmas to all!! This is my gift to you (a new chapter!!) so how about giving me a gift in return (a review!!!)???  Luv you all, please please read/review!!!  ~m.o.e.


	4. Let the Games Begin

DISCLAIMER:  "This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended."

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Chapter Three:

Let the Games Begin

After I had calmed down and dried my eyes, I trudged back down the staircase to the Common Room.  The room was mostly empty except for a few mischievous fifth years plotting their next prank and…Ron and Harry playing a game of Wizard's Chess.  I feel the anger boil my blood as I watch Ron laughing carelessly.  I walk up to them and stand facing Ron with my arms crossed and my gaze cold.  Harry greets me casually, but I ignore him.  Ron looks up and I notice a glimmer of fear in his eye, which he immediately attempts to disguise with light-hearted conversation.

"How long?" I demand harshly.

"What?" he asked dumbfounded.

"You and Lavender.  How long has it been going on?"    

Ron glanced around the room, probably wondering if anyone was listening to our conversation.  He sighed and mumbled, "A few days."  

"A few days?" I repeated in astonishment.  "How come this is the first I've heard of it?"

"I…well, Lavender and I…" he stuttered, "We were sort of worried how you would take it."

"So you were trying to hide it from me when you knew I was bound to find out sooner or later?" 

"I didn't want to hurt you, Hermione," Ron said quietly, his eyes on the floor.  

"So you started dating her behind my back?" I exclaimed.  "Dammit Ron, I don't understand you at all! What kind of logic is that? You don't want to hurt me, so you keep it a secret from me knowing well enough that I'll find out? You're pathetic!"

"Listen, Hermione, I'm sorry," Ron pleaded.  "I should have told you before."

"I can't believe I didn't see this coming," I said more to myself than to Ron.  "You two have been spending a lot of time together."  I sighed, wishing away the tears that were filling my eyes.  "Ron, I thought you loved me."

"And I thought _you_ loved _me," he retaliated, looking me in the eye with determination.  "Get over it, Hermione.  I've been waiting around for you for months.  You have shown my nothing besides friendship.  A guy can only wait so long.  Can you blame me for moving on?"_

"But, Ron, I'm standing right here!" I begged, throwing my dignity aside.  "I didn't know you feel the same way I do! We can be happy again…together."

"No, Hermione," he said sternly.  "I _had feelings for you.  Now those feelings are for Lavender.  Can you just please accept it?  I don't want this to ruin our friendship."_

"You think we can still be friends?" I asked cynically as I wiped away my fallen tears.  

"Of course, Hermione," he said with a smile.  "You've been a great friend for the past six years, and I don't want to loose you.  I want to be able to count on you to bug me into doing my homework and to be the logical thinker when Harry and I take you on our dangerous adventures.  Please, Hermione, say we can still be friends."

I was about to shoot him down when a brilliant plan developed in my mind.  My lips curled into a smirk and replied, "Of course we can, Ron."  I looked at my watch; it was almost ten o'clock.  As Head Girl I sometimes had the responsibility of patrolling the halls after curfew.  Tonight was one of those nights.  I watched Harry and Ron finish their game of chess and then headed back upstairs to my room for my cloak.  It was cold everywhere in the castle except in front of the fire.  I said goodbye to the boys and made my way out of Gryffindor Tower to begin exercising my authority as Head Girl.  

I walked in a daze through the castle.  I found myself walking down the stairwell to the dungeons.  As soon as I reached the dark haven, I felt free.  I felt like I was no longer trying to hide behind a strong façade.  All of the pain I was feeling resurfaced; all of the tears I was harboring fell.  I was glad to be in the secret darkness of the dungeons.  I glanced around to assure my solitude.  I leaned against the cold stone wall and lowered my shaking body to the floor.  My painful sobs resounded through the long corridor.  

I had thought I would be safe to express myself in the dungeon corridor.  I had thought I could cry out my tears until the pain was relieved.  I had thought I was alone.  

I didn't hear his hollow footsteps as he approached.  I didn't feel an intrusion when he knelt down beside me.  It wasn't until he whispered in my ear that I realized he was there.  

"What's the matter, Mudblood, scared of the dark?" drawled the silky voice of Draco Malfoy.   

My head snapped up and I glared at the pale-skinned Head Boy.  I hastily wiped my tears with my sleeve and made to stand up, but my weak knees would not support me and I fell back to the floor.  Not up to toy with Malfoy's childish taunting, I sighed and leaned my head against the wall.  When I didn't retaliate after Malfoy's lame comment, he studied me with curiosity.  

"What _are_ you doing here?" he asked, the silk gone from his voice.  

"What does it look like?" I snapped, annoyed.

Malfoy took a seat next to me, leaning his back against the wall and regarding me carefully.  "It _looks like you're curled up in the dungeon corridor crying your eyes out."_

"How observant of you," I remarked sarcastically.  

There was a long moment of silence.  Malfoy and I sat next to each other without a tennis match of rude remarks for the first time in our history of hatred.  For that moment I actually felt like I could look at him like I could any other guy.  Out of the corner of my eye I regarded how he had matured over the summer.  His blond hair was longer than it had been.  It reached his jawline and fell in his eyes.  His body was fine-toned and muscular.  For that moment I looked at him and saw him as more than "ferret-boy" or Lucius' spawn or even a Death-Eater-in-Training.  I actually saw him as good-looking.  He was well beyond the title of "boy", unlike Ron, Harry, or any of the other boys Hermione familiarized herself with.  Draco Malfoy was a very sexy man.  

I was jerked back to reality with Malfoy's demanding question:

"Why?" 

"Why, what?" I repeated, knowing full well what he meant.  I was trying to stall, and judging by the smirk on his face, he knew it as well.  

"Why are you sitting on the cold floor of the dungeon corridor in the middle of the night crying yourself hoarse?" he explained mockingly.  

"Thank you for clarifying," I said, mimicking his smirk and sarcasm.  I sighed loudly and turned away from him, staring blindly into the surrounding darkness.  "I'm not really sure…"

"Of course you are, Granger," he said persistently.  "Why are you crying?"

Suddenly, my blood started to boil again.  My head snapped to face him, and I glared at him.  "Why do you care?" I spat angrily.  "You never did before.  You couldn't have cared less; hell, you would've liked to see me dead! So why do you suddenly care what's going wrong in _my_ life?"

"Calm down, Granger," he said as he held up his hand in mock-surrender.  "I don't care about you.  I just don't feel like strolling around the halls for another hour.  I figure a conversation will pass the time, even if it _is_ with a Mudblood."

"If you don't like the responsibilities, why did you accept the position as Head Boy?" I asked harshly.  

"Oh, please, Granger, don't even pretend like you enjoy walking these halls instead of getting well-deserved rest…or partying, in my case," he added with a smirk.  

"I enjoy the solitude," I spat angrily.  The little ferret had the uncanny ability to annoy me with nothing more than a few well-chosen words.  

"Well, so do I," he said quietly, the sarcasm absent from his response.  

"You?"

"Is it so hard to believe that I like a little time to myself?" he asked.  

"Not at all," I answered sincerely.  I elbowed him jokingly.  "Little Parkinson giving you trouble?"

"You have no idea!" he exasperated.  "Actually, you probably do.  Still dating Weasley?"

Immediately the lighthearted atmosphere disappeared and was replaced with a suffocating cloud of tension.  

"Uh…no," I said in a small voice.  "We broke up at the end of last year and nothing has started up again."

"You could've fooled me," Malfoy said mockingly.  

"Well, I was fooled, too, as a matter of fact," I remarked cynically.  Without realizing what I was saying, I found myself spilling the whole story to my enemy of the past six and a half years.  Surprisingly, it felt good to talk to someone who wasn't biased on the situation.  I never felt right complaining to Ginny about her own brother, and now I couldn't talk to Lavender.  I pushed away any thought that I might have actually enjoyed talking to Malfoy, and simply convinced myself that he had been in the right place at the right time.  When I finished my story, my face wet and shining with uncontrolled tears, we sat in silence for a long time.  

Finally, Malfoy broke the silence.  

"He doesn't deserve you," he said quietly.  My head snapped to face him, confused by his remark.  He didn't look at me, but continued to look straight ahead.  "He's too immature to know how to treat a woman properly.  He might grow up one day but—" he turned slowly to face me "—he's not worth wasting the best years of your life waiting for him to grow up."

"It's not that," I said defensively.  "I think he just likes making me jealous."

"Of course he does," Malfoy said with a laugh.  "He may be immature, but he's still a normal guy.  Why have the affections of one girl when you can have them fight over you?  Besides, it's the ones we _can't _have that we can't live without."  

The lightbulb in my head switched on.  The plan that had been floating in my mind finally made sense.  No one would play a better role in it than the man sitting next to me.  

"Malfoy, I have an idea," I said seriously.  He regarded me with his undivided attention.  "How would you like to play a little game?"

"A game?" he repeated with interest.  "What do you have in mind?"

"Well…" I hastily gathered my thoughts, "I want to attack the 'normal guy' in Ron.  You said guys want who they can't have, so what if I was no longer available to Ron?  What if I no longer doted over him, but instead…?"

"Over someone he despised?" Malfoy finished with a glint of mischief in his eye.  

I winked.  "Exactly.  So what do you say?  Can you help me?" 

"What do you mean by 'a little game'?" he asked.  

"The Yule Ball is this weekend.  I need you to take me as your date, after which we will pose as Hogwarts' controversial couple," I explained.  I felt a blush creeping into my cheeks and was glad the corridor was dark.  

Malfoy stroked the stubble on his chin thoughtfully.  "What's in it for me?" he asked carefully.  

"Do you have anything in mind?" I replied.  I had to be careful with him.  I knew the Slytherin King's reputation.

"Actually, I do…" I said slowly.  I reached up and brushed a lock of hair out of my face.  I slapped his hand away angrily.

"Not on your life, you sick bastard!" I exclaimed, offended.

Malfoy started laughing.  "Relax, I'm just joking, I don't want that from you.  What I want is for you to write my Seventh Year Dissertation."

My jaw dropped and my breath caught in my throat.  "Your _Seventh Year Dissertation_?! You must be insane, Malfoy! Do you know how much work that paper is?"

"Of course I do," he remarked casually.  "That's why I want _you_ to write it."  

"No way, there's no way," I said shaking my head.  

"No dissertation, no deal," he said, making moves to get up.  I grabbed his muscular forearm to stop him.  

"Let's compromise," I begged.  He appeared to be willing to consider, so I continued.  "You outline your dissertation, and I'll write the final draft."

Malfoy leaned against the stone wall and thought over the compromise.  I watched him as my heart raced.  I held my breath as he considered his options.  Finally he turned to me and held out his right hand.  

"Deal," he said.  "Will you come to the ball with me, Hermione?" 

I shook his hand in a business-like manner.  "I would be delighted, Draco."  

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[A/n]:  Special thanks to all my reviewers, I love you all!!! I hope you liked this chapter…hey, why don't you review so I know?  Please, I love reviews!! Much luv&thnx ~m.o.e.


	5. The Yule Ball

DISCLAIMER: hmm…let's see…nope, they're not mine.  I swear it! THEY DO NOT BELONG TO ME!!! *breaks down into a pile of tears*

[A/n] I am so so so so so sorry that it has taken my…what, over 2 ½ months to upload? So sorry, again.  School is definitely the closest thing to hell on earth.  Thank you so much to all my reviewers.  Without your persistence, I would not have uploaded anything nemore!

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Chapter Four:

The Yule Ball

Draco.  I called him Draco.  For some odd reason, it didn't feel strange to call him that.  What felt strange was the fact that I _liked_ calling him that.  It gave him a touch of humanity.  He wasn't "big, bad evil Malfoy" anymore, he was just Draco, a hot seventeen year old guy.  I tried to push out all the horrible memories I had of his torments over the last six years, but I knew I couldn't just ignore them.  The truth of the matter was, he wasn't magically transformed, he was the same Draco Malfoy I met on the Hogwarts Express six years ago.  

"Besides," I told myself as I headed back to my dormitory at midnight, "it's not like he's really going to be my boyfriend.  It's all a game.  He can be as pathetically agonizing as he wants to be, as long as he can convince Ron he's in love with me."

Draco Malfoy in love with a Mudblood?  I couldn't help but laugh.  

*-*-*-*-*

I looked at my watch.  I had only one hour left before the Yule Ball started! I stared in the mirror at my half-done hair.  It looked like a bird's nest that fell out of a tree during a wind storm.  I turned around, mouth wide in horror.  

"Ginny! My God what am I going to do!?" I screamed.

Ginny dropped her hairbrush in shock from the sudden break in silence.  "Do you have to yell?" she exclaimed, grabbing her chest and mocking a heart attack.  "Now, calmly tell me what is wrong."

"My hair is a mess!" I wailed.  I followed all of the directions in TeenWitch, but my reflection in the mirror looked nothing like the elegant hair style in the picture.  Ginny rushed over and read through the article.  Her eyes jumped between the magazine and my hair numerous times before she burst out laughing.  "What's so funny?" I shouted in a panic.

"You're not done, 'Mione," she giggled.  "There are ten more steps on the _next_ page."

"Next page?" I repeated foolishly.  "Oh…I guess I'm nervous."

"Yeah, I'm sure your date is making you nervous.  So, who is he?" she asked with a grin.  

I chuckle lightly and turn my attention back to the magazine.  "Sorry, Gin, you have to wait just like everyone else."  

"But I'm your best friend!" she pouted, sticking out her lower lip while trying to hold back a smile.  

"And I love you for it!" I said with a wink before I turned back to the mirror to finish my "elegant" hair style.  I could only hope that the style would get better…and soon!

*-*-*-*-*

It was almost seven o'clock.  I stood in front of the full-length mirror admiring my reflection.  My hair was up in an elegant style with gemstone clips glimmering in the torchlight and curling locks of hair forming a frame around my face.  My dress robes that year were satin and form-fitting to show off my luxurious female curves.  They were the color of spilt blood:  deep crimson.  My makeup was dark, much darker than I usually wore it, but it fit the dark, mysterious aura I was attempting to give off.  I turned to admire my slender reflection in the mirror.  Part of me found it extremely difficult to believe that the beautiful girl standing in front of me really was Hermione Granger.  

"May the gods help us, 'Mione," Ginny whispered as she appeared in the mirror behind me.  "You look amazing."

I turned to face her.  "Thank you, Gin, but you're just as beautiful as I am."  Ginny really was a beautiful girl.  Her long hair, now a deeper shade of red, fell just below her shoulders.  She had her hair half up in a braided bun.  She was wearing new dress robes of a brilliant shade of violet.  The thing that made the biggest difference between us is that when she dressed up, she didn't look much different from any other day.  Not to say that she looked plain, it was just that she paid extra attention to her appearance everyday.  

"Whatever, Hermione," Ginny said as she made her way to my bedroom door.  "I'm going downstairs.  There is _no way_ I am walking in after you.  I shall you see you at the Ball, milady."  Ginny curtsied as she exited the room.  

I looked back in the mirror.  I would wait a little while.  I wanted to make a grand appearance.  I wanted everyone's first sight of me to be on Draco's arms.  That's why I was glad of Hogwarts' many secret passages.  Only yesterday I discovered a passageway that led from my private room directly to the main hall.  Draco and I constructed a brilliant plan to insure we made a glorious appearance to the masses.  I waited in my room until I heard a subtle knock from my open closet door.  I walked inside and opened the small hidden door that was concealed behind a rickety shoe rack.  I opened the door slowly to reveal the handsome face of Draco Malfoy.  

He was wearing robes blacker than the blackest night, and, by an amazing twist of fate, the same satin material mine was.  His hair fell into his face, giving him an admirable impression of mystique.   I found myself staring at him for a long time before I realized that he, too, was studying me.  

"Wow, Hermione," he whispered, "you clean up well."  

"Thank you, Draco.  You don't look too bad yourself."  I smiled and felt a blush rising to my cheeks.  "I think we'll make a lasting impression on the minds of everyone tonight, don't you think?"  

He let loose a bout of laughter.  "By the time we walk into the room, there won't be a guy in there who won't wish he was shagging you tonight."  

A smirk tugged at my lips.  "Then let the games begin."

*-*-*-*-*

The Great Hall was dark except for the light of the candles floating above each circular table.  The students were seated at their dinner tables, awaiting the start of the Yule feast.  The loud conversation fell to a faint murmur when the lights dimmed.  Everyone was waiting for the procession to begin.  At the deep chiming of a bell, everyone in the hall leapt to their feet, their eyes on the door to the antechamber of the Great Hall.  

From the antechamber, the teachers appeared.  They walked as pairs and stood in front of the stage where the staff table usually was.  The last two to arrive were Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall.  They all remained standing as the main doors to the Hall opened.  From a shadowy, hidden corner, Draco and I stood and watched as the Prefects and their dates walked solemnly into the Hall.  When the last couple was fully through the doors, Draco and I left our safe haven.  Before we reached the door, Draco took my arm and leaned close to me.  

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.  

"I'm positive," I answered with a smile, not certain as to what I was supposedly positive about.  

Draco offered his arm and I took it gratefully.  With a deep breath we walked into the Great Hall.  

A great gasp was heard throughout the Hall as Draco and I walked in, arm in arm.  Draco and I kept our smiles conservative and smug.  We wanted everyone to know that we were together on our own free will, and that we enjoyed it.  I felt every eye in the room on me, looking me up and down.  When I saw Ron at the front of the Hall with the prefects, I smiled with an air of arrogance.  His eyes were bulging and his chin was on his chest.  I didn't know whether he was more shocked at the fact that I looked so beautiful or that I was being escorted by the Slytherin King himself.  Lavender stood next to him with her arms crossed and her eyes glaring daggers.  I met her eye and winked.  Off to the side, with the other Gryffindors, I saw Harry.  His robes were a deep shade of green, giving him a dark and mysterious look about him.  His countenance showed no sign of emotion, but I could feel his hurt and anger.  He felt betrayed beyond words.  I felt a pang of guilt.  My game would be hurting innocent people as well.  

I pulled myself from his gaze and looked up at the teachers.  Most of them stood with shocked expressions on their faces.  McGonagall's tight lips were formed in a minute smile as she watched us walk together.  Snape stood to Dumbledore's right with Professor Vandershine, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.  I had expected Snape to be wearing a look of disgust, but to my surprise he was smirking ever-so-slightly with approval.  Dumbledore was grinning broadly and his eyes were beaming with pleasure.  He was easily the happiest onlooker in the Great Hall, no doubt appreciating that his Head Boy and Girl managed to put aside their differences.  

Draco and I joined the other prefects at the front of the Hall.  Dumbledore turned back to the students.  

"During these difficult times," he said slowly, "there is nothing more important than allegiance and loyalty amongst ourselves…" he looked back and Draco and me, "even between enemies."  I couldn't help but smile at his statement of approval.  His words alerted everyone to the fact that Draco and I were in fact at the Yule Ball together.  "I now announce the beginning of the Yule Feast!"  With that, Dumbledore and the teachers made their way to the front table.  The other prefects and students followed suit, and the scraping of chairs could be heard resounding through the Great Hall.  Draco and I took our seats across from the Headmaster himself, at his inviting hand.  

The food at the feast was delicious.  Ron and Lavender sat only a few seats away from us, but I kept my eyes from straying anywhere in that direction.  I could feel the tension in my chest, but I ignored it.  Draco and I talked like we had been friends for years, and I found myself laughing louder than I had in a long time.  By the end of the feast, my cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much; I knew they would be numb by the end of the night. 

The feast ended and the food was cleared away.  I sat back into my chair and exhaled loudly.  

"Delicious," I murmured.

"Gr-reat," Draco said as he let loose a monstrous burp.  I turned to him and laugh.  His eyes met mine and he joined me in the laughter.  

Suddenly the table in front of me disappeared.  Dumbledore motioned for us to back away and everyone around the table moved swiftly.  A large staged manifested before my eyes and a band of shaggy robed wizards appeared on the stage in a cloud of smoke.  It didn't take long for the Draco and me to realize that we had to begin the dancing at the Ball.  We danced only a few measures before the rest of the prefects joined us.  Halfway the song the rest of the school joined in; the ball had begun.  

The night was not too adventurous.  Draco and I danced continuously, moving closer whenever we saw Ron looking our way.  As the night wore on I could tell he was burning with jealousy.  It was much easier than I thought it would be.  I expected it to take a week at least, not one night, before Ron became mad with envy.  I found myself grinning throughout the evening.  Finally, I was on top of things, I was in control.  This time I was not someone else's poppet.  I was nothing to be toyed with.  

When the clock chimed midnight I stared at it in disbelief.  I turned to Draco, astonished.

"That can't be right, can it?" I asked.  "It's not midnight already, is it?"

"Yes," Draco chuckled.  "I'm glad the evening was not so unbearable for you that time crawled by."

"Does that mean that it was unbearable for you?" I asked cautiously.

"No, not at all," he said with dignity.  "I quite enjoyed myself.  Come, Hermione, I shall escort you to the Entrance Hall."  

Draco offered his arm and I took it willingly.  He led me to the base of the main stairwell in the Entrance Hall.  We stood in silence for a moment: somewhat awkward, yet extremely enjoyable.  Draco took my hand and kissed it gently.  

"Goodnight, Hermione," he said softly.  

"Goodn—" then I stopped.  "It's Ron!" I hissed.

"Say no more," he smirked.  Without a moment of hesitation, he drew me into his arms and kissed me forcefully.  I felt his warm tongue separate my lips and delve into a deep and passionate kiss.  His hands roamed through my hair and for a brief moment I felt sensuous tingling inside me.  I immediately dismissed those feelings.  This was a game, just a game.  Anything that was to be done between Draco and me was to mean absolutely nothing.  Did I want it to mean something? Absolutely not.  Ron was my objective, Draco was my path.  

"Get a room, asshole!" a harsh voice yelled.  Draco and I broke apart and found ourselves being glared at by a certain red-haired admirer.  

"Are you offering, Weasley?" Draco smirked.  "Because I know how much you'd love to watch something you'll never be able to do."

"Why you—" Ron forced through clenched teeth as he made his way toward Draco.  Suddenly, Harry's hand reached out and grabbed the back of Ron's robes.  After much persuasion, he was able to lead Ron away.  As the two boys walked up the stair, Harry turned back to me.  His eyes were filled with such disappointment that I was forced to look away from him.  What if my plot to gain my boyfriend back ends up losing me my only friends?

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[a/n] please review, my lovely readers…but only if u want more.


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